IRR - No more correspondence courses for retirement points! What do I do?

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:58:23 -0400

The chief of the IRR/IMA branch at HRC sent out a message recently that there has been a change to the regulations, and correspondence courses will no longer count towards retirement points!!!! What do I do in order to have a good year??? (USAR)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2016 2:04 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:04:48 -0400

Where did you see this?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 20 at 2016 9:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 21:49:52 -0400

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member Have you considered an IMA position? They offer a lot more flexible type drilling schedule than the regular type Troop Program Unit. That would get you your point that you need toward your retirement.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Apr 26 at 2016 1:33 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:33:53 -0400

I find that interesting for sevl reasons, most especially as I wonder what the rationale could possibly be. I never did a reserve or guard spot, though I knew of the rule certainly that let such correspondence programs be used for points of course. Now is that solely for yoir own service, or is it for all services? Since, if the other services, incl usphs and NOAA, allow it at all, you might, I wonder, possibly have a basis for appeal, whether to your own service, or higher, as the case may be, to whatever extent you might care to submit such a request, of course, within channels and according to protocol, of course. Then, too, I had known of mechanisms whereby, e.g., civil air patrol would let USAF do reserve tours with them for points, I don't know about uscg auxiliary, of course, or whether your service might allow such a thing. In, e.g., NY where we are, if you look at the DMNA websites for guard and reserve, there is both the NY state guard, the volunteer militia a member of SGAUS, that supplements the NY army Natl guard, though I'd readmit isn't federally recognized I think to drill with. However there is also in NY the NY naval militia, which is, I'd read, federally recognized, as it explicitly let's I'd also read usn USMC and uscg drilling reservists drill with them, I don't know about other svcs incl usphs since it's fundamentally a sea service. Now depending on where you are, and which state or territory, there might I thought be an analogous org to the NYNM perhaps with which you might ask to drill, or posbly with CAP or USCG aux. I also wonder if perhaps you might ask if the correspondence program offers an accredited degree like naval war college or army command and genl staff college, Natl war college, army war college, industrial colg of armed forces, or AFIT or naval postgraduate school, if the degree mechanism or courses toward it by correspondence might be allowed to count as opposed to correspond courses not done for credit. Uscg aux has something called the aux Univ prog or AUP and the AUXOP prog that you might ask about which I gather are their highest levels, though you'd of course have to be a uscg aux MBR to do them. I knew of CAP offering a master's, or might be, I don't know, and did see a website about uscg aux offering a master's paid for them by its masters partly in residence with a component of NPS I did def see that. I hope those ideas might be of help. Also, if you were to try for a pH.D. that was svc related, I know NPS has an online one I'd seem listed in comp sci, though you could ask about civilian ones, also, that, perhaps, might be asked to be allowed to count for points. Look at Univ of the people http://www.uopeople.edu they're nearly free except for admin and exam costs they only have assocs and Bach for now in bus admin and comp sci though they did start an MBA, and just got accredited by DETC formerly NHSC a legitimate accredmbos though I don't know if industry or svcs accept them yet. Look also at http://www.excelsior.edu in NY formerly a NY state external degrees program that went private, they cost, but are very svc friendly i got a 2nd Bach math from them, and a friend got his Bach math transferring credits when they were NY state govt ant he then got into an OCS. Also, you might ask to do a reserve tour at a svc profsnl school in residence not correspond that ought surely to count for points I should think, if you'd care to chat further, I'd be most eager of course by all means.

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Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 5 at 2016 6:54 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 18:54:35 -0400

You may request to do an AT with a unit to get your retirement points chief or find a local career counselor to put you into a Reserve unit.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2016 12:15 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 00:15:17 -0400

Did you ever figure out what you need to do? I'm looking at possibly transferring into the IRR from the NG and was really disappointed when I saw the correspondence course change :(

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 22 at 2016 12:57 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 12:57:30 -0400

Spoke with HRC re: this very issue yesterday, 21 July 2016, and the answer is to find a Troop Program Unit (TPU) slot with a USAR unit and perform Unit Training Assemblies (UTA), etc. for pay & Retirement Points (RP)... or affiliate with an organization for a possible tour, such as 14 days of Annual Training (AT) or some other Special Duty such as the ones below.
Note: There are possibilities of Individual Mobilization Augmentation (IMA) or Drilling IMA (DIMA) positions, as well - but again, you'll have to either have a CAC or a DS login to access the HRC website to obtain that info.

For instance:

[From the HRC website]
Links To Other Commands For Available Tours And Training Opportunities

Many Department of the Army organizations post tour opportunities in support of their internal operations. Links to those commands are provided below.

Defense Logistics Agency
US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Center and School
Personnel Force Innovation (PFI)
Intelligence Support
Army Reserve Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer/NCO Program
Center for Army Lessons Learned Embedded LNO Program

Hope that helps. Good luck!
CW4 Trish :)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2016 9:23 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 21:23:05 -0400

if you need 10 yrs as an officer ( I have 20 enlisted) can you retire as an officer in the IRR?

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2017 1:03 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 13:03:08 -0500

UPDATE: I'm back in TPU-land, have been since August. The unit and the mission are great. It's a very small detachment, and the possibility of deployment is low right now. Either Djibouti or Germany, and I'd have to volunteer for it.